The Centralia City Council voted to give its 34 non-union, full-time, benefitted employees a one-time stipend for 2% of their individual base salaries at its Tuesday meeting.
The stipends total an aggregate $79,500 across all funds, which was also approved as part of a budget amendment at the same meeting.
According to meeting agenda documents, the employees did not get the chance to negotiate a pay raise through a union’s collective bargaining activities, and they have not received a pay raise since 2020.
“The upwards trend in City revenues that had been experienced for over a decade halted with the onset of COVID,” stated the documents. “Until the economy and City revenues fully stabilize, it is not recommended to commit to COLA adjustments for employees that create a permanent compounding expense. It is for this reason that a one-time stipend is recommended.”
